Ghosts of the Past
by Sdebeli
Summary: Discontinued pending a full rewrite once I have the time. Sorry folks
1. Prologue

**Author's note:** This is my first piece of Naruto fanfiction, and I thought I'd try something unusual (although not having read all of the stuff posted here, I have little doubt that someone had at least a similar idea at some point.). I have very little ideas as to the pairings as of yet, so I'm keeping it open for now. This is a prologue chapter, and it is purposefully short. I hope to write longer ones as I go. As always, reviews and comments are always welcome.

Small note

**Bijou thinking  
"Bijou talking"  
**_People thinking_

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

"I believe it is time" a whisper was heard in a small forest clearing. Three solemn figures were standing around a small, circular pool of water, gazing intently at its contents. The pool reflected the image of a not-so-far-away place, where a young boy was silently crying, his back resting against the trunk of an ancient tree. Blond hair, blue eyes, and three whisker-marks on each cheek, his clothes nearly torn, and sporting many bruises and cuts.

One of the three figures was crying.

"Kami, had I only known that this would happen" he said softly, the sadness and sorrow clear in his voice. Ethereal teardrops vanished before they reached the soil beneath them. The other two figures watched their companion with equal sadness. It was wrong, what had happened to the boy, and yet the six-year-old boy managed to hold his own with little help from others. They watched him since he was born, watched him being hated, cursed and harmed. He carried a burden greater than any of them, and even for all his tears, he still held strong, even if he was alone.

The time had come to change that.

"It's been six years since then." the taller of the two other figures spoke "let's begin this reunion, shall we?"

**-------------------------------**

To say that Naruto hated his birthday would be an understatement. Every year since he was born, that day was the Kyubi festival, in celebration of the death of the nine-tailed demon. What it also meant, was that a large mob would start going after him. He shuddered at the thought. Almost everyone hated him, and he didn't understand why. He had apparently done something to earn such hatred, but he couldn't understand. The shops overcharged him, the small apartment he had was broken into and vandalized so many times, he had been beaten, cursed, poisoned, robbed... and what pained him more than all that was the simple lack of family. He didn't want to be alone anymore, he wanted to have parents or siblings. Were it not for the few people who cared for him, he would have probably given up on life long ago.

He ran from town for the day, rightfully fearing that the mob would try and hunt him down. He had done so last year as well, and was now sitting in the depths of the forest outside his village, under the branches of the oldest tree there. It was one of the few havens in his world, one of the places that he knew he was safe. Tears were running down his cheeks and falling on the soil beneath him. He was sad and he was tired. He tried bringing back his only happy memories, a last ditch attempt to calm himself down. He thought of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, the man who took care of him the most. Of Teuchi and Ayame Ichiraku, father and daughter who ran a ramen stand near his home, of a few male and female ninja wearing animal masks who watched over him for the past year and kept him relatively safe. He knew there was one of them nearby, following him. He chuckled for a moment,forgetting his sadness as he remembered that he wasn't really alone. He remembered how much he liked to pull pranks on others, it was one of his more enjoyable activities, and although he never actually hurt anyone, he got in trouble every time, often having to run from the village until the 'heat' cooled down. Besides, he knew there were a few people who laughed quite hard at his antics when they thought he couldn't hear them. For a moment, he felt a familiar presence nearby, followed by two others. He smiled, that was one of the things he knew how to do well, and it unnerved his guards constantly.

"Ji-san!" he cried as he jumped to hug the man he knew to be Sarutobi. He simply smiled as he huged he small buy back, ruffling his hair.

"It's good to see you too, Naruto-kun"

They both sat down, as Hiruzen drew smoke from his pipe and told tales of past time to the boy. Naruto was a good listener, and would remember every story he was told. What he didn't know was that his 'grandfather' was actually teaching him through those stories. As always, the two sat there for hours, and day slowly started turning into night.

The old Hokage always enjoyed talking to his adopted grandson. He had long ago come to love the child for his kindness and enthusiasm. And to make things even better, he finally found a way to train the boy without any interference from the thrice-damned council. His face soured for a moment.

"What's wrong Ji-san? Councilmen giving you headaches again?" the boy asked curiously.

He couldn't help but laugh as the boy was dead on target. _He's a lot smarter than he likes to show_, Hiruzen thought, wondering how the boy would have turned out if he had a stable family instead of the nightmare he was living.

"How did you figure it out?" He asked Naruto, willing to see the line of reasoning he followed.

"Well" Naruto stopped for a moment "The village isn't under attack, or you and the other ANBU would probably be elsewhere" the old man nodded "And of the other options, only the council gives you that much trouble" he exclaimed with a grin, proud of being able to explain so well.

"Smart boy" Hiruzen said proudly ruffling the boy's hair again.

"I wanted to ask you something Naruto" he began again

"Eh?"

"How would you...." Naruto realized that he couldn't hear the voice any more

**Hurry child, there isn't much time**, a strange voice echoed in his head, and he felt something pulling him. For whatever reason it was, he knew it wasn't far.

"Naruto, are you alright? You just spaced out there for a second"

"Someone called me" he answered bluntly, raising an eyebrow on his grandfather's head.

"I..I think, someone wants to see me" he added, scratching his head in confusion.

"Well, why don't we go and see him?" Hiruzen answered with a smile

"Them" was the only thing that Naruto said before he jumped and sped off.

Sarutobi may have been old, but he was still one of the most powerful ninja in the world, and it took very little effort to follow his adopted grandson through the forest, three ANBU captains in tow.

Naruto wasn't sure why he was doing this, but the voice was calm and … _warm._ He was never careless, as he would have died long ago if he didn't pay attention to the dangers around him, but he somehow knew that there would be no danger here.

Within a few minutes he reached the oldest part of the forest. Tall trees extended their branches far overhead, blocking out the skies above. He still ran, the pull was getting stronger. After a while, he finally reached what seemed to be a large clearing with a small circular pool in the middle. He nearly fainted as he recognized the three figures that surrounded the pool.

**-------------------------------**

Sarutobi silently cursed. In a moment of carelessness, the boy suddenly turned and the old hokage lost sight of him. Still, his chakra signature was easy to follow when he allowed it. But this wasn't the only problem that plagued the very much capable mind of the 'Professor', as they called him. The boy had always been something else, he still remembered how Naruto had predicted a few rather terrible hailstorms that would come, probably saving the crops and the village from starvation, he had noticed several enemy shinobi under deep cover missions and had the foresight to stay calm and warn him without taking any action himself. His only comment was that they smelled weird. And now, the boy was running after some strange voice that called him. If he didn't know better, he would have said that the boy had gone insane. The fact that actually worried him was that the boy would never lie to him, and what he said worried him. There was only one source from where that voice could have come from. As he finally caught up to Naruto, he saw the wide clearing and the three figures with Naruto. He could only feel his jaw drop and eyes tear as he recognized the faces.

**-------------------------------**

"_Hey kid_" said the spectral figure of one Minato Namikaze to the startled boy in front of them. Naruto was standing in awe of the three figures in front of him. There was very little need to wonder a to their identities, after all, their faces were carved onto the side of the mountain back in the village. He was speechless, and the figure that closely followed him followed him was in no better condition

"_Although we'd love to stay a while and chat about the good old times, we're somewhat strapped for time" _dryly said the second figure, that of Tobirama Senju, while still giving a small smirk. The other two merely laughed.

"But... how?" was the only thing Sarutobi managed to speak, tears now falling freely from his face.

"You died. You all died years ago..." he continued to mutter.

"_We're ghosts Hiruzen. Those upstairs" _Minato spoke, pointing his finger upwards _"are somewhat worried for the situation here. And although I'd like nothing more thank to talk to you, we're here for him" _he added as he pointed at Naruto.

"Me?" Naruto meekly said, to which Minato nodded.

"_Come, there is much to talk, and there is someone else you must meet as well" H_e spoke and touched Naruto's forehead, seemingly knocking him out_" Old man, we'll be borrowing him for a while, he should be quite safe here, but if you want, feel free to take him back home, he'll be out until morning"_

With those words, All three figures disappeared, leaving behind a very confused Hokage, along with his three escorts.

"Sir, where those...?" one of them tried, not believing what had occurred before him.

"Aye" he chuckled, wiping away the last of his tears with his hand. _Damn, it was good to see you all again_.


	2. Chapter 1 Opening

**Author's notes:** This is the first official chapter of the storyline. I try not to reveal too much information, so as not to spoil the fun, just remember that things aren't always what they seem.. Here's a short list of some of the stuff I have stored.

Naruto won't be a stupid kid, but you probably figured out that much, and he won't hold godlike powers

While pairings are still open, I'm personally leaning towards Anko and or Tayuya and or Konan. Why? For entertainment purposes. I'll see what my muse tells me :D

Anyho, without further ado, enjoy!

* * *

_Quite contrary to popular opinion, _

_knowledge is NOT power. _

_The ability to put said knowledge to use, _

_THAT is power._

**Chapter 1 : Opening**

Naruto woke up, only to find himself within a dark corridor. _Where the hell am I?_ Murky sewage water was slowly flowing under him, and pipes were running across the walls, some of them leaking blackish water. It seemed like a sewer of some sort.

"_Hey kid, we're over here" _a voice echoed from the far side of the corridor. Deciding that he had no better option but to go, he slowly walked towards the voice, eventually reaching a chamber of gigantic proportions. The walls stretched into the darkness around him, and the ceiling was obscured by darkness. In the distance he saw a massive cage, and within it, a huge slumbering fox. On closer inspection, he realized that the fox had nine crimson tails which matched it's fur perfectly. He realized that that was the same figure which ravaged Konoha six years ago, which left countless dead or homeless. And the beast was lying there looking perfectly harmless. And snoring. He also noticed three

other figures near the cage sitting around a table. The there dead kage.

"_Take a seat Naruto_"Minato pointed at the only free chair. The blond boy slowly sat down, eyes moving from one figure to the next. It made no sense. He was stuck in a friggin' sewer with the Kyubi no Kitsune and the ghost of the three dead hokage. He wondered if he had gone insane.

"_Not really boy" _said the oldest of them, Hashirama Senju"_Right now we're in the safest place to talk, inside your head._"

_Well that makes sense, in a twisted way,_ thought Naruto, before realizing that his thoughts were echoing around the colossal chamber.

"_We don't have much time brother" _the other Senju quietly said "_Minato, you had best start_"

All three faces turned towards Naruto as Minato Namikaze began speaking

"_While you're probably wondering what is going on, we are short on time, so I'll try my best to explain."_

For a moment time stopped for Naruto. He is inside his mind, there is a huge kage, covered with seals containing the nine tailed fox. Remembering what his Ji-san told him, that the fox wasn't killed, but sealed, he quickly put two and two together. He was the vessel that carried the demon fox.

"You sealed the fox inside of me" Naruto said, his voice void of any emotions.

Minato Namikaze dropped his head, his sadness as obvious as his guilt.

"_I'm sorry for this Naruto. I am sorry that you have to bear this burden, and the hate that comes from it. I am sorry that I sealed the nine-tailed fox into my own flesh and blood. My own son_"

At those words, Naruto's eyes went wide as he started in shock at those words

"Father?" he asked slowly, frightened that this might be a dream, that it could just vanish

The man nodded as a small, sad smile came to his face. Naruto couldn't control himself anymore. He jumped out of the table and hugged the ethereal figure. Much to the surprise of all three ghosts, he didn't go through. They all silently thanked the powers that be for this small act of kindness. But sooner than either of them wished, the hug had to be broken. Hashirama coughed as the two parted, and Naruto returned to his chair, a smile now plastered on his face. He saw his father. He was happy. No further explanations were needed

"_Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, jinchuriki of Kyubi no kistune" _Hashirama continued. Naruto quickly realized how serious the situation was, and his smile all but vanished. These people were _dead_, and someone went through all the trouble of bringing them back, and it likely wasn't to play poker with him._"We were all gathered here today because you are in a unique position."_

"How so?" he asked, before realizing a far more important question "And what is expected of me?"

All three were surprised, not really expecting a six year old boy to come to such conclusions so quickly.

Suddenly, they all realized that the snoring had stopped, and saw a pair of silted eyes starring at them

"**Certain 'aspects' of his body develop much faster than regular humans."** the massive fox stated, answering the question in their mind, and sounding rather proud of it "**His intellect among others**"he added as an afterthought. The four decided to continue the conversation.

"_Can we go back to the discussion at hand?_" The fox nodded "_Thank you. Now, you know the he_" Hashirama pointed towards Minato who merely grinned "_is your father. What you don't know is that you are also related to the two of us._"

"Nice" was all that Naruto could say

"_Quite_" Tobirama added "_You're our great-great-something-nephew, or at least I think so..._"

"_Stop confusing the boy brother. In any case, you basically inherited our bloodline, along with that of the Namikaze and of the Uzumaki. On top of that, you have the old furball over there._"

The fox growled in amusement.

"_Now, all this is yours regardless of what you chose to do. But_"this time Tobirama started talking " _we were sent to warn you of a certain person who had a rather... destructive influence on this world._"

"**Would you corpses stop beating around the bush and tell the boy of that _bastard?_" ** if words could kill, the venom in the last word would have caused a genocide.

"_Uchiha Madara_" Hashirama's voice dripped with as much venom as Kyubi's "_that is the name of the man.. no, monster responsible for more death and destruction than I care to recount. He's also the one responsible for all of this_" he said and pointed towards Minato and the _fox.__**"**__The Sharingan has certain effects on the tailed beasts, but Madara managed to control them, and after slaughtering his mate and kits, sent him in an enraged state to attack Konoha. You are probably aware of the aftermath__**"**_

Naruto was merely sitting quietly and absorbing all of this information. He was the heir to not one but _three_ powerful bloodlines, he was a jinchuriki, his father was the Fourth Hokage, and the first two kage were apparently his ancestors. Ad to that that a certain Uchiha was directly responsible for his current predicament, the death of his _father _and very likely his _mother_ as well, not to mention the deaths of so many others. Hell, he even felt sorry for the giant fox that was sitting inside the cage. It all felt _wrong._

"This is my mind, right?" he asked softly, but with a firm tone of determination behind it. They all nodded. Naruto focused. He didn't like the sewer, it made him painfully aware just what kind of mess his mind was. So, he focused on the one place were he felt safe. The forest. Soon the surroundings and the cage vanished and were replaced by a tranquil meadow in the middle of a clearing surrounded by pristine forests on all sides. The only thing that didn't seem cheerful was the weather. There was a storm brewing. Kyubi watched the situation unfold with growing interest. He was given a bit more freedom now, so he got up and stretched his legs and tails

"**Thanks kit. Remind me to have a few words with you after these fossils are done.**"

"Now that that has been handled, what do you expect me to do about _Madara Uchiha?_" there was a hint of rage in his voice now. All three ghosts grinned at this.

"_He intends to do something. We're not aware what exactly that something is, but it's probably going to __be over the backs of everyone you care about, and a lot of innocent people as well. He is planning to gather the tailed beasts, which means he's going to kill the hosts._"

At those words Naruto winced. He really wasn't going to have a choice.

"_So we want to help prepare you to kick his ass"_ Minato replied to his son's _question."We left quite a bit of information with Kyu over there, and then there's the matter of your clan holdings and inheritance."_

"All things said, it would be foolish to reveal my name, no?_" _Naruto asked politely, no question actually present. They all laughed. Hashirama decided that he liked the boy very much.

"_Ah. Our time is almost up_" Hashirama said sadly "_Naruto, feel free to trust the fox and ask that old man Sarutobi for any advice you might need. Also, check the clan vaults in the hokage tower for a scroll left by your father. You'll get all you need there._"

Suddenly, all three figures began to fade.

"Father?" Naruto asked softly, his sadness finally catching up to him

"_Don't worry Naruto, we'll meet again. Keep everyone safe, eh?_"

"I promise."

--------------

A knock was heard on the doors of the Hokage's office.

"Enter Kakashi" Sarutobi quietly answered the knock. He threw a short glance at the sleeping figure of Naruto on the couch as the door opened and a tall silver-haired man entered the room, holding a small orange book in his hand. His face was mostly covered by a mask and his hitai-ate which went over his left eye, completely covering it..

"You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?" He asked somewhat sleepily. Hatake Kakashi had just gotten out of bed when one of the AMBU visited him with orders to report to the Hokage's office. Suffice to say that he wasn't overly happy.

"Yes. There is something I need you to take care of."

Kakashi nodded, awaiting for the Third to continue. He silently noted the presence of a boy lying on the couch nearby. He instantly recognized the Kyubi vessel, and wondered why he was there sleeping.

"I"m glad you noticed Kakashi." Sarutobi sighed "I need someone to watch over the boy,."

"I...see" Kakashi swallowed hard"But wouldn't there be better choices?" he tried to save himself of what he certainly thought would be too much trouble. The other man started laughing.

"You are one of the few I can trust fully with this Hatake Kakashi."

Unfortunately, he wasn't one of the captains who saw the scene last night, and few others would ever find out what happened as the Hokage classified it as a triple-S secret, not to be revealed under any circumstances without the boy's permission. Sarutobi was astonished to hear what the boy had to say when he woke up last night.

_(Flashback)_

A scream broke the tranquility of the forest as Naruto finally awoke, startling the old hokage and his three guards. The boy was breathing raggedly, and seemed somewhat distressed.

"Are you alright Naruto?" Sarutobi asked him kindly. The boy blinked a few times, adjusting to the darkness. Then small solemn smile drew itself across his lips.

"I think... I think I am." he finally replied, in a quiet but happy voice. Sarutobi could only smile back, it had been over a year since he had last seen the boy smile so freely.

"Ji-san?" he started, and the old man nodded "We need to talk."

"About what just happened?"

"That. And about my parents and about a certain fox."

Sarutobi sighed. He knew that this wasn't going to be a good day.

"I know you know Ji-san, and I know why you couldn't tell me." he offered with a small smile. The older man simply listened to the boy before him "If certain people knew I was his son, they would hunt me down for revenge. And people around me would get hurt" At the last words, his face took a sad, but determined look. _He knows, he knows everything, _the old man thought_, and he ha made a decision._

"What have you decided Naruto?" He asked, genuinely interested in the boy's answer.

The boy looked up to him for a second, the determined look never leaving his face. He smirked.

"I made a promise. I will protect the people who are precious to me, and I will protect my home." he stopped for a moment, letting the words sink in "And to do so, I _**will**_ become Hokage"

_(end flashback)_

Afterward, on their way back, he retold most of what the ghosts had to tell him, including the fate of the nine tailed fox sealed within him. In a month he was going to join the shinobi academy, and in a week's time he would become his apprentice. Sarutobi had decided to help the boy as much as he could, if nothing else, because he was the son of a very good friend.

"You do know who he is, don't you Kakashi?" Sarutobi asked the jounin, a devious smile crossing his lips. Said jounin suddenly began feeling a bit nervous, he had no clue who the boy was, so he turned to study him a bit. The boy was an orphan, and his last name was Uzumaki, which didn't help at all, since there was no one with the same name in Konoha, and he didn't remember anyone except... he took a long look at the boy's features. Blond hair... he remembered from when he had to chase the boy after one of his now-famous pranks that he had blue eyes. And then the pieces clicked into place.

"Sensei's son" he whispered, to which the hokage nodded. Hatake Kakashi wasn't one of the smartest ninja in Konoha for nothing. As the implications of his discovery settled into his mind, a barely visible (thanks to his mask) smile came to his face, as all doubts fled his mind. He would be _honored_ to accept

"I take it you agree?" Sarutobi asked.

"For as long as it is needed" he nodded "It will be my pleasure. Does he know about his...?"

Sarutobi nodded "And probably more than we do"

_---------------------------------_

Much to Naruto's pleasure, time passed quickly for him. The two of them bonded quickly, and Kakashi ended up resigning his ANBU post to spend more time with Naruto. Between training and studying, three months passed quickly. He was starting to get the hang of chakra control, and he quickly managed to master the basics. He found the filed of fuinjutsu to be very interesting, because of the fox sealed inside him. Strangely enough, the fox kept silent for some time now, and it hadn't bothered him since the conversation with the ghosts. Right now, Naruto was dozing off on top of his work desk. He was surrounded by small storage scrolls, most of them containing either raw materials for making seals, tools or various literature covering topics from various ninjutsu to herbalism and medicine. Kakashi silently entered the room and merely watched the boy. He was deeply proud of him. _He's just like his father,_ he mused, _who knows, he just might be able to make his dreams real._ He walked over to the boy and gently shook him awake. Today they were going to start with ninjutsu training, and they both knew he needed it.

"Wake up kid" he said softly. He had come to love the boy as his own flesh and blood.

"Unghhh" was all that Naruto managed to mumble out as he got his head up from the desk, rubbing his eyes with one hand while supporting himself with the other.

"Why did you have to... oh" he stopped as he remembered what day and time it was, and immediately he shook his head to chase the sleepiness away, while making a wide grin

"Tou-san?"he muttered, before taking a look at the clock "Damn it, don't tell me I overslept?"

Kakashi started laughing like mad. He was happy that the boy had started calling him his father even though he knew who his real parents were, and laughed because he would commonly oversleep after studying all night.

"Don't worry Naruto. I was a bit late myself" he said, scratching the back of his head while smiling sheepishly. Naruto's face turned somewhat somber

"Rin and Obito?" he asked, without truly expecting an answer, to which Kakashi merely nodded. He never told the boy, but he somehow figured it out, and had not once even commented his lateness.

Sighing, Naruto grabbed his jacket and the walked over to one of the nearby training grounds. A thin layer of snow was covering the entire village, but that made no problem for the pair, Kakashi was a hardened ANBU veteran and Naruto had a somewhat altered metabolism, so keeping warm was not a problem. As they walked Naruto took a short look at his clothes. They were simple, but h could move freely in them, ad they had a LOT of pockets. Black pants with already attached kunai and scroll holders, a dark blue mesh shirt and black jacket over it, along with steel toed boots. He left his usual gloves at home this time, he needed as much mobility for the hand seals as possible.. Strapped to his back was the now empty sheath belonging to his katana. People were still giving him a hateful glare whenever they walked by, but he didn't really care anymore, besides, everyone knew better than to attack the man he had come to love as a father. Training ground #36 was a wide open area, surrounded by forests on every side. They walked don to the middle of the place.

"Naruto, tell me how much you remember about ninjutsu?" Kakashi had decided to start with the theory, planning to root the basics into Naruto's head so that in the future he would be able to develop his own jutsu.

"Ninjutsu. Give me a moment" he stood, recalling all that he could remember from the scrolls and books he read. "Ninjutsu covers various type of elemental and non-elemental arts, that pertain to achieving various effects through the expenditure and molding of chakra. There are several factors that decide the power of a specific jutsu, first the amount of chakra invested, second, the effect achieved, third, the number of hand seals involved, fourth, the surrounding terrain, for instance suiton jutsu are usually far more powerful near large bodies of water, and fifth, the presence of certain bloodline limits and objects."

Kakashi smirked, at least the theory was out of the way as he certainly got it down to a T.

"Good. We will start with some of the most basic ninjutsu, those that are usually taught at the academy. Although low on power, they are very useful combat."

Naruto was listening carefully to every word. Of all the ninja arts, this was the only one where he didn't have any experience whatsoever. He read a great deal about it, but had agreed to simply train is chakra control and capacity along with suppression before starting to train.

"First, is Henge." he demonstrated the necessary hand seals and transformed himself into Naruto, much to the boy's entertainment. "This is one of the most basic skills you have to master, it uses a very small amount of chakra, and can be easily used in the middle of combat. Now, before you try it, do you have any ideas as to it's use?" Kakashi decided to add such questions whenever he could, to test the boy and help him improve himself, although he at times found that the boy had rather original ideas.

"Infiltration, information gathering, tricking a foe in combat to lower his guard?" Naruto quickly replied to a now smiling Kakashi.

"Exactly. Now you try it." he said "And try and be creative" he added as an afterthought.

Grinning like a Cheshire cat because of a rather nice idea that occurred to him, Naruto attempted the jutsu, and managed to do it right the first time.

Kakashi on the other hand had certain issues with the form his adopted son had chosen. As he lost consciousness on account of a massive nosebleed, he figured out that Naruto had found his hidden stash of Icha Icha books..

* * *

This chapter ended up much shorter than I planned, but I'm busy packing for the holidays. The next update will be in about two weeks from now. Read, review, comment. :P


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